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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Fabio's Italian Kitchen...Review

About the book:When Fabio Viviani was growing up in a housing project in Florence, Italy, the center of his world was the kitchen, where his mother, grandmother, and especially his great-grandmother instilled in him a love for cooking and good food.Now he shares the best of Italian home cooking while telling the story of his hardscrabble childhood, his success as a chef in the United States, and the women in his family who inspired him. In more than 150 delicious recipes, Viviani takes us from his family home, where his great-grandmother taught him to make staples like Italian Apple Cake and Homemade Ricotta, to the kitchen of a local trattoria, where he honed his craft cooking restaurant favorites like Gnocchi and the Perfect Tiramisu, and then across Italy where he studied each region’s finest recipes, from Piedmont’s Braised Ossobuco to Emilia Romagna’s Perfect Meat Sauce. A gorgeously illustrated cookbook, Fabio’s Italian Kitchen is a celebration of food and family that brings all the joy, fun, and flair that Fabio Viviani embodies to your kitchen.Fabio Viviani was born in Florence, Italy, and became a sous chef at Il Pallaio, a trattoria in Firenze, at the age of sixteen. He now works as the owner and executive chef of Cafe Firenze, a renowned Italian restaurant in Ventura County, California, and Osteria Firenze, a Los Angeles Italian eatery. He has appeared on Top Chef (season five), Top Chef All Stars, and Life After Top Chef.

I can't say that I'm all that familiar with Fabio Viviani. I don't have satellite or cable so I don't watch television and I've never seen him cook on television. I did, however, enjoy his cookbook. The book is full of history, explanations and anecdotes. The recipes range from preparing basic pasta and sauces to more involved recipes. I have quite a few marked to try. I have always wanted to make my own pastas.

I loved his narration. Food is to be enjoyed, it is not meant to impress. Family dinners are important.

Very authentic. Very Italian.

Thanks to Kristina Miller of Hyperion for the opportunity to review this book. You can learn more about Fabio Viviani here. You can purchase your own copy here.

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